In the context of our work in the fields of inclusive education, research and design, we sat down for a chat with Koen Deweer, founder and director of Konekt (www.konekt.be). Konekt radically champions a world in which persons with and without disabilities live, learn and work together. The goal is clear: to allow people with disabilities to live fully in an inclusive society. In doing so, Koen and Konekt focus both on developing individuals’ full potential and on making the environment more inclusive. The origins of his drive lie in his own school experiences, as well as those of his son. Both times he observed how everyone is pushed through a system which is the same for everyone and therefore not set up to utilise personal talents. When someone is not good at something, it may lead to biased advice from teachers: “Something with psychology and pedagogy is probably beyond your depth. Maybe becoming a forester is more suitable.” When Koen noticed the same thing happening to his son, he felt: now we really have to change things.

The expert perspectives from Madelon Gilaude, Rutger de Wit and Simone Kramer on the future of leisure.

Everything is space! But how everyone arranges that space for themselves and for others is becoming increasingly complex. The world is experiencing a rapid transformation in urban development, which has led to the emergence of new design approaches such as placemaking and experience design. These processes have become crucial components in creating spaces that are not only functional but also socially and culturally significant.

Leisure has an important relationship to time, space, and place. In leisure studies we are used to thinking about time as the basic resource for leisure. We need leisure time in order to be able to enjoy leisure, and so the struggle for leisure time has been an important focus of leisure research.

What happens if 120 second-year students go on a placemaking mission in the city of Amsterdam? A story about happy communities, making international headlines and contributing to the agenda of the Night Mayor.

It is a term you see pop up in strategic plans, policy documents and in education more and more: placemaking. Will it be the new ‘buzzword’ of the 2020s, or is there more beyond this flashy concept? At the Future of Leisure conference last March, it was one of the central themes, and it already has a prominent place within education. How does the Academy for Leisure & Events make sure that placemaking has a meaningful and practical application within our programmes? This article shows how and why we give placemaking a ‘place’ in our leisure curricula. 

As our society evolves, so does our understanding of sustainability and its interplay with Leisure & Events. This complex relationship was spotlighted as one of the focus areas during the Future of Leisure Conference. Showing us the potential for a world where leisure not only coexists but thrives alongside sustainable practices.

If you open your eyes, you see the cracks; if you listen, you hear the squeaking and creaking: nitrogen, loneliness, food banks, energy prices, working conditions, gender inequality. The old doesn't seem to work anymore. Old, mostly white, men and women talk on TV. Politicians speak in circles. Scientists say things must change. 'The world is falling apart,’ a cry of urgency to those who want to hear and those who do not. It is clear that things have to change, but how?

There is a growing awareness of the social impact of leisure. In companies, governments, social enterprises and in leisure science itself, both in terms of an object of study and a task: the 2014 Butler lecture, for example, made recommendations for leisure scientists to boost social impact and help society understand and address social challenges.